The Farm Report -- 7/8/2014

By Scott Lucas | Tuesday, July 08, 2014

My Position Players of the Month for the third full month of the season (3 June through 2 July), based on stats, position, age, level, and prospect status.

1. OF Jared Hoying (Age 25.1), AAA -- .356/.452/.655, 5 HR, 13 XBH,5 SB, 14% BB,20% SO In his fourth full season, Hoying already has a career high in homers (15) and is on pace to obliterate his prior counting stats. Hoying has never hit for a high average outside of short-season and swings through plenty of pitches. He's not out of his depth in center field.

2. 3B Joey Gallo (20.6), Hi-A and AA -- .291/.385/.709, 9 HR, 15 XBH,0 SB, 12% BB,43% SO Gallo is striking out at a high rate even by his lofty standards but is otherwise treating the Texas League like any other level.

3. OF Lewis Brinson (20.1), Lo-A -- .431/.515/.897, 7 HR, 12 XBH,2 SB, 13% BB,21% SO Brinson missed nearly half the slate of games but played at top level. Much like Gallo, his strikeout rate is a concern, but he's cut his rate from 37% last year to a reasonable 24%.

Starting Pitchers of the Month:1. Akeem Bostick (Age 19.1), Lo-A -- 26.3 IP, 1.03 ERA, 3.17 FIP, 1.0% HR, 5% BB+HBP, 21% SO Bostick held opponents to a .163/.206/.207 line and walked only four of 97 batters. He isn't a flamethrower by today's standards but has the body to add some oomph. Also throws a curve, slider and change.

I measured Gallo's 31st homer at 448 feet via Google Earth. Last night marked his career debut at first base. I wouldn't read much into it. Certainly don't take it as a sign that he's imminently moving off third, where his defense has improved considerably. Robinson led off the game with a long ball, and Adams soon followed suit.

In the couple of innings I watched, Gonzalez was sharper than my viewing in Corpus Christi, not that he was terrible then. He appeared to have a little better late movement on his fastball, and some sliders had opponents flailing.

Bolinger (.294/.348/.429) rejoined the Pelicans on the 4th following a month lost to a knee injury. Texas just bumped Pucetas up to Myrtle Beach. Jorge Alfaro committed his 10th error behind the dish and has 18 passed balls. His defense continues to progress slowly.

Williams is Texas's 11th-rounder, making his professional debut in low-A. The 20-year-old pitched for the State College of Florida Manatee-Sarasota, a name I hope to avoid typing again. Per Baseball America, Williams ranged from 91-94 and touched 96 with his fastball and offered a mid-80s slider. He was strictly a reliever and didn't throw much last season.

Jamey Newberg

Dallas attorney Jamey Newberg has been commenting on Rangers from the big club down through the entire farm system since 1998.

Scott Lucas

Scott Lucas was born in Arlington, Texas, to Richard and Becky Lucas. He lived mostly in Arlington before moving to Austin, where he graduated from The University of Texas. Scott works for Austin Valuation Consultants, Ltd., and has published several boring articles about real estate appraisal and environmental contamination. He makes a swell margarita and refuses to run longer than ten kilometres.

Eleanor Czajka

Eleanor grew up watching the AAA Mudhens in Toledo, Ohio. A loyal Ranger fan since 1979, she works "behind the scenes" at the Newberg Report.